Terrestria: The Lost Memories
by Ten-Faced
Summary: Around the New Year, partners Yuma and Mizki save a young girl named Ia who can't speak or remember anything about herself. All they can find out about her is that she needs to get to Meredin. Now. Here's to the beginning of 300 A.D. (After Dragons).
1. Prologue: To a New Year

Terrestria. The continent teems with magical creatures of an incredibly diverse variety. Fair Folk waver in between the branches of Drisil trees like ghosts with their own kingdoms on the far points of the land, the omnicats prowl in the wild with their mysterious smiles, their untouchable aura and tricky words and the loup-garous grin and bare the sharp teeth that clashes with their human features.

There are humans with magic, too. The Metallin Tribe closely guards the secrets of the gunslinger mage with honour and courage tempered to perfection like their Soul Steels. Mages and Healers draw on the powers of magic all around them to manipulate and use as they will. Dragontamers must find a way to tame and control the large, powerful beasts with limited intelligence without being killed by what they had hoped to control.

There are also the countless demons taking the imitated forms of creatures lacking magic, demons who just wish for harm and destruction, ruin and pain, who delight in being the cause of innocents suffering. There are the gods, sometimes as whimsical as the omnicats and sometimes as cold as the winters of the Crythalis Mountains.

Then, there are the ordinary humans who must find a way to survive amongst all this by either banding together for unity and combined strength or depending on heroes.

Terrestria. The continent is surrounded by the Sapharine Oceans to the South, the Aquaire Oceans to the Northeast and several seas with islands of diverse sizes and populations. It's home to Amerys the Eastern Kingdom, Adamas the Northern Kingdom, Emerlem the Western Kingdom, Roseuse the Southern Kingdom, Meredin the Center Kingdom and many other tribes, clans, packs and different hierarchies.

Terrestria. The continent about to face what would be a year that comes maybe once in the lifetime of a god.

As I write this, I can't help but wonder what person will next lay their eyes on this page. Will it be a curious scholar searching for anything to further add onto his or her thesis in hopes of impressing their professors? Or will it be a harassed governess, trying to find something interesting while also simultaneously worth educating children of nobility?

This is the last day of the year two Hundred ninety nine, AD (After Dragons). Nearly three hundred years ago, humanity tamed the first dragon and made them a valuable asset to our lives. It's hard to imagine a life where a scaled beast three times the size of a stallion with immense strength isn't following the wills of a human being, but that was how they had lived three centuries ago.

Tomorrow will be a special day. It will be the first day in a year scheduled with nothing but strange, special coincidences. The three hundredth anniversary since dragons were first tamed, yes, but also the year of a Wolf Moon, the only holiday celebrated by the half-wolf, half-human packs of the loup-garous once every ten years, as well as the year when the rare event most commonly called the Stardust Utopia will occur.

The Meredin University and Library will also celebrate its four hundredth birthday. The Heavenly Stars that represent the major gods – Leon, Lola and Miriam – will be aligned for the first time in roughly a millennium.

Tomorrow will definitely be the first day of a historical year, and yet I cannot help but wonder – what will happen? All the living creatures in Terrestria I listed above, as well as the ones that I haven't – will they still be here when the last sunset of the year three hundred After Dragons falls?

Here's to you, unknown reader, assuming that you know naught about what I have been talking about in hopes that you'll understand what one woman is thinking as she writes for the last time in a year under a dim, spluttering candle as a celebration goes on in the grand hallways.

Here's to you and to the year three hundred After Dragons.

Sincerely, Duchess Sonika Astrain, Royal Librarian, Historian and Astrologist of Meredin.

* * *

Written after I finally found out that Horntail died in the Maplestory Comic two years ago. Review to ask if you actually want to know why that makes me mad. If not . . . review anyways.

Nothing owned, really. In here, AD means, like Sonika was kind enough to tell you, After Dragon. What does BC stand for? Who says it'll be BC?

Next chapter will definitely have Yuma and Mizki. This is only the prologue, anyways . . .

I don't own anything.


	2. A girl named Ia

_Year Three hundred, After Dragons_

_Day One of Month One_

_In a small forest near the Amerys-Meredin Border_

* * *

Sharpening his blades always calmed Yuma. It was a ritual of a sort for him to sit down next to a comforting, blazing fire magicked into existence by his partner of nine years and sharpen his daggers till they were just right. It let him straighten and narrow his world and vision until it was only him, the magic whetstone – gift from Mizki – and the blade.

It was a strange way to spend the first night of a new year, but Yuma had never really cared for festivities. Neither had his partner, one of the many reasons why they got along with each other so well.

On the other side the mage skilled in cloak and dagger activities known to all as Mizki dozed against the wall of her barrier. Yuma put down the freshly sharpened dagger and picked up the last blade left. Many mages would have a hard time holding the solid barrier without spoken spells, charms or extra concentration. It said a lot for her abilities, just casting a solid barrier spell and sleeping without even bothering to care about it.

He was lucky to have her as a partner. In the Terrestrian continent having a partner decided whether a hero lived or not.

The Terrestrian continent. The huge mass of land with five countries filled to the brink with magic and supernatural creatures. Not many of them were friendly creatures, either.

With all the constant irregular flow of magic and destructive life forms the only way for humans to live was by banding together and that was what they did. All governments funded the 'Hero System', officially called the Order of Auren where anyone with magic or skill could register and officially be a 'hero'. Heroes would then be dispatched across the countries and continent to settle outbreaks, disputes, monster surges and other various things.

Yuma had been doing this since he was eighteen, when his family had been killed in a monster raid. He'd been away at the healer's getting a twisted ankle tended to. Before they had died he had been thinking of taking up after his family's tradition and becoming a farmer. Hunt a bit for meat and extra profit, too. He had liked hunting back when he was eighteen. He had been good at it back then. Still was.

After their deaths he had sold the property and joined the Order of Auren, barely an adult. He was twenty eight now. Ten years of experience where he hunted demons and mad creatures, yes, and also saved lives by killing. What the Orderlies called a veteran hero, or an old man.

He tapped the last dagger against the crystal on his silver ring. It rang out with a loud, shimmering sound like a bell. Satisfied, he wrapped them all up before packing them away. "Hey, wake up," he called to his partner.

Mizki groaned and yawned before actually opening her eyes, something that took a lot of effort for her. "Is the world ending?"

"No." Not that he knew of, anyways.

"Then good night," she closed her eyes again and dozed off again. Mizki was the same age as him, but she was already well on the way of becoming a great mage. She was assigned to him – or he was assigned to her – after a case where his former mage partner had been trampled to death by a rabid dragon. He couldn't say that he missed his old partner. The man had been loud, obnoxious and arrogant, the kind of person that had no experience but knew everything from books. He had died while trying to read about the species of the rabid dragon from a ridiculously dusty and overweight book right next to the .

He still remembered his last words. _'You see, young warrior, that dragon happens to be a rare type called-'_ SQUISH.

The dragon may have been nothing but a dumb rabid beast formerly under a human's rule, but Yuma had thanked it profoundly. After putting it to sleep for its own good, of course.

Unlike his first partner, he wanted Mizki to last longer with him. Much, much longer. "At least eat something before sleeping," he told his second and favorite partner so far. "You haven't eaten since midday."

"Says who?" was the sleepy reply he received.

Yuma considered throwing a slice of bread at her head but decided against it after half-hearted thoughts. There was no use in wasting perfectly good food and she'd eventually get up to eat and regain her energy. She was smarter than those girls who liked to starve themselves to look thin. Mizki knew that as a mage she needed to eat a lot more to keep her reserves and energy levels up.

He looked at her again before cracking a grin. Well, she'd make the smart choice as soon as she decided which one was more important; sleep or food. At the moment, it looked like her top priority was sleep.

While she slept, Yuma brought out his log and scrawled down some things that had happened in the day on the page of the blank book, the first entry of the New Year. 'Three monkey demons and one cerberius killed. Saw an omnicat. Bought bread and cheese (five copper leavas). Completed quest to rid village of harassing demons.'

The quest they had just completed had been an almost insultingly easy one. A village near the Drivana Forests in the Eastern Kingdom of Amerys had been plagued by winged monkeys and a three-headed dog demon. It wasn't a great number, yet not many heroes had been willing to embark on a quest near the mystical home of the East Fair Folk. All the superstitions based around the Fey, with their aversion to the sap from irini flowers, their skill with a bow and their mysterious, alluring magic had scared the warriors, the inexperienced mages and the archers off and left the village pretty much helpless.

He and Mizki knew better than to have irrational fears about the Fey. As long as they didn't tromp around burning down the forests or something just as equally stupid the Fair Folk would leave them alone. They'd been travelling near when the closest Order of Auren office had sent a summons for anyone willing to take on the quest. They dropped in, killed the rabid creatures and that had been it. No angry Folks coming after them. Really, the only remarkable thing about the quest had been the fact that it was the New Years Day.

The villagers, grateful for the demon slaying, had offered them quarters for the night but both of them had declined after seeing the village's meager food storages. No use in being a worse burden to them than the monsters they'd been sent to kill. Besides, they wanted to go back to Meredin, the Center Kingdom. They wanted to go home.

His sword in his arms, he closed his eyes and followed his partner's example.

Or, at least he tried to.

Both his and Mizki's eyes snapped open when a blood-curdling scream rang out into the night. In a flash Mizki had her staff in her right hand while her left hand dispelled the barrier around them.

He ran out first, knowing she'd follow. One of the oaths they had to take when they first joined Auren was that they would help those in need."Which way?"

Mizki waved her staff and made a magic vapour trail appear in the night air, where it glowed like a small, green version of the Milky Way. A tracking spell. "That way!"

Behind Mizki the barrier reconstructed itself around their belongings and the fire. Nodding in silent approval he ran, following the trail. Judging from the thick trail the screamer wasn't far. The colour green told him that it was safe – it wasn't a trap to lure travellers to a fate of death or worse.

The magic trail came to a tall tree next to a pond. He assessed the situation; small human footprints – a young person – were scattered around the sand, mixed in with the paw prints of a large cat. Drops of blood decorated the sand under the light of the moon.

Mizki cried out and a bolt of light bright as the sun flew out from the round jewel on the top of her staff. He turned to see it strike a black panther demon with wings in the branches of the tree next to the one near the pond.

The cat demon fell the ground, lifeless, and Yuma heard a squeal from the top of the tree closest to the pond. "Hello?" he called up. "Are you up there?"

The leaves rustled. "I won't hurt you!" _Unless you happen to be a demon or a rabid, violent supernatural,_ he added mentally. Then_ I may have to hurt you._

Pale hair and wide blue eyes looked down at him from in between leaves before hiding in the shadows.

Mizki stepped forwards. Getting the silent cue from his partner, Yuma stepped back. Judging from the sound of the squeal, it was a young child up there. Children had a tendency to not like him. They all liked Mizki, yes, but they didn't like him.

"It's okay," she murmured, hands up to show whoever was up there that she was unarmed. Her staff had been reverted back into the smaller, more convenient form of a wooden ring with a stone set in it. "We won't hurt you."

She continued this soft speaking/calming thing, never even once showing any impatience. Slowly, the kid came down with still-wide eyes. The scared child was a girl with long pale hair and striking ice blue eyes. She wasn't dressed for the weather in the simple cotton dress she was wearing. His guess was that she was ten, maybe younger.

Nothing about her made any particular sense. "Are you hurt?" Mizki asked in the same soothing, motherly voice. "Hungry? What's your name, sweetie?"

The girl eyed the dead panther before abruptly throwing her arms around Mizki's body. Startled, she hugged the child back before her mind took over. The mage rocked slightly, cradling the girl's head. "It's okay," she said again. Over the girl's pale head, she mouthed a few words. _Let's go back to the camp._

He nodded.

Back at camp, the girl watched with wide eyes as Mizki simply waved her hand and dispelled the barrier around the campsite to reveal the fire and packs that had been magically shielded from sight. She hesitated at stepping in, but followed the mage when the woman simply plopped herself down next to the fire. "Food?" she asked, offering some bread and cheese once they were all within the established magic boundaries and the barrier was resurrected.

The girl took the offerings and ate like she hadn't ever seen food before in her life. She inhaled two entire rolls of bread before even pausing to breathe.

Mizki handed her a water bottle. "Slow down, there's more," she joked. "No one's going to take it away."

Her eating speed didn't slow down. Yuma frowned. The this girl was chewing and swallowing . . . .

There was something off about the way she ate, and he had a pretty good idea of what it might be. Okay, he needed to ask a question to confirm his suspicions. But first, he needed to be gentle. "So, kid," he began, and then winced at the withering look his partner gave him as the girl shrank back from him. Not gentle enough, apparently. "Er . . . ."

Kids really weren't his thing.

The girl shrank back further. Mizki patted her hand before she handed her a slice of cheese. "Would you like more bread?"

Gingerly, the girl nodded, loosening up at the promise of more food from the nice lady with pretty pink hair. Apparently pink-haired ladies were nice and all, but if a man had pink hair there was something wrong with him. Curse the double standards of society.

"Okay, here you go-, I'm sorry, I don't know what to call you. What's your name?"

His partner was good. Feed the kid, let her relax and find out about her. She did the digging without making the girl wary.

Again, kids really weren't his thing.

The girl scratched at a cord around her neck before pulling out a pink pendant. A crystal shaped like a water droplet flat on one side, it was definitely something expensive. She turned it around to show a wooden back where two carved letters were just barely legible.

"Ia," Mizki read. "That's a nice name."

The kid nodded and put the pendant back under her dress before attacking the food again.

Yuma frowned. Again, the way the kid was chewing and swallowing . . . !

It bothered him. It bothered him a lot. It bothered him to the point where he had to risk scaring the kid. "Can you speak?"

The look Mizki gave him told him that it was a really rude question and he could have done much better than that, but the girl didn't seem bothered by it as she shook her head.

And then here was the dreaded question. "Do you have a tongue?"

Ia swallowed her mouthful of food and opened her mouth. Her tongue sat in her mouth, behind her teeth, whole and untouched.

So the problem wasn't that she didn't have one, but it was that she just couldn't manipulate it to speak with. He'd seen someone like that once during the Annual Wizard Hex Competition. Mizki had ranked tenth in Meredin that year. "Alright, Ia, thank you very much."

Ia nodded and returned to eating. Gods, that kid ate a lot! They had bought more than enough food to last them on the way back and yet here she was, polishing them off like it was nothing.

Mizki nudged him, reminding him not to stare. "Where do you live, Ia?"

The girl shrugged.

"You don't know?"

A nod. When she had finished with their food supply, she yawned and snuggled into Mizki's side before closing her eyes. As the mage blinked in surprise, she immediately fell asleep, snoring softly.

Yuma let out a stifled chuckle. "Cute," he whispered.

"Yuma, don't even," she brushed a strand of her pink hair back. "What do we do?"

"Ask around, I guess," he was used to slicing up demons and rabid supernatural creatures that had lost their grip on sanity or had given into the urge to kill everything and anything. He was not used to taking care of kids.

"Good idea. If anyone lost a child, they'd probably take the information to the Auren Office near them."

Over the centuries the Order had existed, it no longer remained solely for the purpose of finding human heroes willing to risk lives for the sakes of others. A few supernatural beings signed up to be a hero, healers and mages could get credentials if they were too poor to go to a university and people could request for minor help, such as finding a missing child.

Many times, missing children often ended up as a case where an adult craved children. It almost never ended well. Yuma glanced at Ia. Well, this one would, if he had anything to say about it. The kid couldn't speak. She at least deserved the chance to live, even if all the noises she could make would simply be that; noise. Judging by the previous screams and squeals, all she couldn't do was make words.

Mizki waved a hand, replenishing and fortifying her barrier. "That should be enough to make it hold until the morning," she yawned. "We'll have to go back to a village and visit a baker."

"In the morning," he stifled a yawn and leaned over on one side. Rest first. Action later.

Yuma closed his eyes and let himself slip into the realm of sleep for real this time. First sleep of the year, the sentimental part of his brain noted before the unusual sentimentality also fell to the clutches of slumber.

No scream split the air to wake him up again.


	3. The retini stone's afterimage

Yuma woke up at the crack of dawn as he usually did and found a pair of pale blue eyes surrounded by a pale golden halo looking down at him.

_What?_ Mizki didn't have blue eyes. And she definitely did not wake up earlier than he did.

Then his eyes adjusted to the dim light in their barrier and determined that the pale golden halo around the owner of the blue eyes was hair, not some kind of sunlight tricking his eyes. _Oh. Right. Ia._

"What are you doing, up so early?" he asked as he began to get up. Mizki was still in a deep sleep, which meant that he'd have to wake her up. As usual.

Ia shuffled a bit in her seat, but didn't answer. Not like she could have even if she wanted to, anyways.

His guess was that she had suffered from nightmares during the night, woken up and had been too scared to go back to sleep in fear of further terrifying dreams. Usual for kids her age. She'd probably been waiting for one of them to wake up so she'd have someone to be with. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't good at that kind of thing.

Ah, hell, she looked ready to cry.

_Think, Yuma. What do little kids like to do?_

The immediate answer he thought of was 'cause mischief'.

Sending a silent apology to his partner, Yuma made his face as friendly as he could. "Would you like to do the honours of waking Mizki up?" he asked. The girl's face brightened considerably. "You can jump on her if she doesn't get up," he added, knowing that the mage would never give the girl the head of a donkey for waking her up.

Ia smiled at him and proceeded to throw herself on top of the sleeping mage without even trying to wake her the gentle way. At the sudden weight dropped heavily onto her, Mizki woke up screeching like a banshee in shock. When the woman saw just who had shattered her morning's sleep, she patted the smaller culprit's head as glared at him. "Yuma."

"Mizki," he replied. "Get ready. We need to get breakfast."

Yuma knew that she'd argue for the sole sake of arguing against him, but a loud growl from her stomach shut her up. "Fine."

Ia giggled.

* * *

The baker didn't recognize Ia from any of his former customers, but the man had been so taken with her shy smile that he had showered her with free pastries and sweet buns. "You could make out like a bandit in Silvana Market," Yuma told her as they walked away, thinking about the gullible merchants of Meredin's capital city. "Just flash them the baby blues, duck your head again behind Mizki and the merchants will never know what hit them while they clean their emptied stalls."

Ia stopped nibbling on her apple and walnut cobbler to duck shyly behind Mizki again. Then, apparently feeling sorry for her two impromptu guardians, she offered them the uneaten peach cobbler in her other hand.

Mizki burst out laughing and had to stop walking. "You are _adorable_," she told Ia after her laughing fit was over. "Thank you, sweetie," she added, taking the offered peach cobbler.

"You already had breakfast," he told her.

The mage bit into the sweet pastry and made a face at him. "There's always room for dessert,"

"You are aware that this is breakfast, yes?"

"I'm a mage, Yuma, I need all the energy I can get. The quickest way to get energy is-"

"Sugar. I know. I also know that you'll crash if you eat too much."

Ia finished off her cobbler and licked her fingers before patting Yuma on his back. He couldn't tell whether her intentions were good or childishly mischievous. For all he knew she could have been wiping her saliva-covered fingers on his clothes.

Mizki burst out laughing again and Ia's smile grew wider.

The good humour lasted until they reached the Office of Auren. Ia looked nervous as she clutched at Mizki again. "It's okay," the mage comforted the girl. "We're just going to see if we can find your family."

Only if she didn't have family, they'd be pretty hard to find. He opened the door and let the two females pass first before entering the office himself.

Inside the office, Yuma could only describe everything as chaos. There were papers flying around – literally - everywhere, several clerks either scrawling hastily on anything and everything or running around like headless chickens near Mizki when she was bored. The crystal orb that served as communication was buzzing with new messages and contacts every five seconds.

Chaos in an Auren office. He never thought he'd see the day.

"What happened here?" he asked aloud.

The head clerk, who also happened to be the oldest man there straightened his robes and walked over to them, only getting hit in the face with flying paper three times on the way. "Hello, you two," he said, recognizing them from the demon slaying quest he had sent them on not too long ago "I see you picked up a stray."

The head clerk's eyes softened considerably when he saw Ia's shy smile. "What can I do for you?"

"We need to see if there were any children reported missing or taken," Mizki said briskly. Around people she didn't know very well – children being an exception – she was all business, professional down to the last strand of pink hair. "We found Ia here last night near a panther demon."

The clerk didn't seem to like the idea of a sweet child like Ia near a demon known for being a silent, deadly hunter. "Of course. I'll get right onto it," he promised, ignoring the disbelieving looks his subordinates were sending him for abandoning them to the chaos.

When the head clerk was behind in the files office, Mizki looked around. "Why not just contact the Auren Database?" she muttered. The Auren Database was hosted by the Kingdom of Meredin but was kept separate from the palace and the Royal Library. It was meant for getting information heroes needed on their quests quickly and efficiently. Everyone contributed and the Royal Librarians of Meredin, as well as members of Auren sorted them out for easy access. The Database was also funded by other countries in Terrestria to not place the entire burden onto Meredin and its people. That was where any missing children reports would be sent right after the offices received them.

One of the clerks paused in his wrestling with magic paper. "You didn't hear the news?" he asked, incredulous. "And here I thought, with you folks being from Meredin and all-"

"What news?" Yuma asked. The clerk shrank back a bit and he cursed inwardly as he remembered that most people found it frightening if he leaned towards them with fierce eyes. Or, at least that had been the explanation Mizki had given to him after he once wondered aloud why people cringed when he asked them a question.

The others had paused in their work as well. "The Meredin Royal Library and the Auren Database was attacked," the clerk that had cringed said slowly, eyeing Yuma warily. "Some kind of magic terrorism. All the Orderlies and the Royal Mages are trying to find out who did this, and they've closed off all magic connections temporarily to prevent further attacks. Every office in Terrestria has been informed and ordered to keep all records ready to be added if it opens again."

If, not when. The two of them exchanged glances and Yuma knew Mizki was thinking of her former sponsor, Duchess Sonika Astrain, one of the Royal Librarians. There was no way the green-haired woman wouldn't be involved with this right now, searching for the reason why this had happened. "When was this?"

"Yesterday. We got the reports around the twenty third hour last night."

That was before they had found Ia. Poor kid. Of all the times she could have been separated from whatever life she had before, she got lost when the best chance of finding her caretakers went down.

Ia licked her candy and blinked when the head clerk came back into the messy room to inform them that there hadn't been any missing or taken children reported in the last month in this area. "Until the magic link is re-established, there's no finding anything else," he said apologetically.

Yuma looked down at Ia. "We'll fill in a form and take her with us to Meredin," he decided. Mizki nodded without any look of surprise. "If there's any news about her, please contact her."

They left the messy office their given identification numbers and essence records. "Well, Ia, I'm afraid you'll have to stay with us just a bit longer," Mizki told her.

The young blonde didn't seem to mind that at all. She especially didn't mind it when the mage announced that they were to go shopping for all the things they'd need on their journey back.

Yuma didn't argue even with his hate for shopping. The fastest way back to the Center Kingdom was considerably dangerous, and even with two well-known heroes for safety it was still quite a rough path. Ia would need sturdy shoes and better clothes.

He did, however, put his foot down when Mizki eyed the pink lace gown in the display window. "No," he said.

"I didn't even-!"

"No."

Mizki's practical side won over and she gave up dressing Ia like a doll or a princess. She did, however, insist on buying some sort of a rock from a vendor selling mage supplies. "This is robbery," she muttered as she handed the man half their coins. "In Silvana Market it would be half the price."

The vendor shrugged as he counted the money. "Well, that's in Silvana, and this is just plain small Cloudsgrove. You're lucky we even _have_ this stone."

The mage just nodded before they walked away. "Never thought I'd ever have to use one of these," she said, turning the small round stone with gray streaks over and over again in her hands. It's a retini stone," she said in response to his curious face. "It helps with remembering forgotten or lost memories."

"Isn't that what enhanced emeralds do?" Enhanced stones were gems that had been magically heightened. Each jewel had a certain meaning and therefore each had different properties. Emeralds, if memory served, were the gem of truth and helped to clarify the mind and memory.

"Yes, but those are expensive and the retini stone works slightly differently. It also has certain properties the emeralds don't."

"Such as?" he was still skeptical. He'd never even heard of a retini stone before.

"Such as the afterimage. Ia?" Mizki asked to the girl. They were now out of the market area and distanced from rest of the people. The closest person to them was a young girl selling flowers from her basket. "Would you mind holding this for me?"

Their temporary ward took the stone. "That's good, thank you," Mizki said, keeping a finger in contact with the stone. "Now, I want you to keep listening to what I say. Can you do that?"

The girl nodded. Yuma thought she was insulting the girl's intelligence. Ia was mute, not stupid.

But then again, it had been a long time since he'd been ten years old and he wasn't good with kids.

"I want you to think of home. I know you don't know where that is, but I'm sure you remember certain parts of home. Where do you sleep? What places do you like to go to? Are there flowers? Animals? Buildings?"

The retini stone pulsed with light once. Mizki flinched.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook it off and blinked. "Nothing. Just . . . drained me a bit, that's all. I hadn't been expecting that much of a backlash."

"Backlash?"

"Unlike emeralds retini stones can't supply their own power. A mage needs to give it power while it forms and holds that image," Mizki took the stone from Ia and thanked her before showing him the rock. "Normally it doesn't take a lot of energy, but in this case it took a lot, and," her breath caught as she looked down at the stone. "I can see why."

He could, too. The 'afterimage', as Mizki had called it, was an extremely detailed image of a magnificent building with arches and graceful pillars. It could have easily been mistaken for a palace, if he hadn't recognized it. "That's the Auren Database," he said.

The Auren Database Headquarters. That was in Silvana City, not far away from the palace.

"This is your home?" Mizki asked Ia. She nodded.

His mage partner looked at him with uncertainty and he had a good guess of what she was thinking; what was Ia doing all the way here in Amerys if she was from Meredin?


	4. The temple district

When Mizki pulled him aside to talk to him, Yuma was slightly surprised to learn that his guess on what she had been thinking was wrong. That didn't happen too often. "How would the Auren Database be her home?" the mage hissed as Ia braided wildflowers out of hearing distance.

He hadn't even thought of that. "Maybe she lives near the database?" he offered the first thought that came to his mind.

His partner immediately dismissed that theory. "There aren't any residents near enough for an image of this detail," Mizki reminded him. "Besides, she's ten. You've been to the Database Headquarters, you know children are the rarest sights to see there."

That was also something he hadn't thought about, but now that he did he remembered Duchess Sonika wistfully talking about how the youth never cared about knowledge until it was almost too late. The green-haired woman had been widowed very soon after her marriage and instead of remarrying like most noblewomen would have done, she had chosen to stay in her deceased husband's family to continue the work they had been doing for as long as they could remember.

Her lack of children and her high position as one of the Royal Librarians of Meredin had led her to help children with potential in them get a high-quality education. Mizki had been one of her beneficiaries, and neither woman could understand just why so many youths didn't consider education as a high priority. Personally, Yuma could relate, but he had seen fit to leave them ignorant of the reason why most children didn't want to learn twenty four hours a day.

"Another thing bugging me," she whispered. "The retini stone reflects the exact image of what the holder thinks. At her age this kind of detail is impossible. I've seen kids her age use these and the best images we can hope for are basic shapes, size and colour. Even then there are certain elements wrong because the human memory can't recall all features perfectly and that's not even taking into account the sidetracked thoughts. Look at this! This could easily be a magic portrait of the Auren Database."

She was indirectly telling him with her long lecture that Ia had a perfect memory or something just as special. He looked at Ia again and all he saw was a sweet young girl trying to make her chain of flowers a longer length. "What do you want to do?"

Mizki hummed to herself, a habit she got into when she was thinking deeply. "I want to go to the temple district," she said at last. "Seek some guidance from the goddess of visions and dreams."

"Then let's go."

* * *

Near the border of Meredin the temple district was rather fancy for one belonging to a small city. That was because the people of Amerys had no desire to be slighted by any passerby from the center kingdom. All cities near borders were given care to best represent the kingdom in a positive way – even if the country was suffering from whatever ailed the land or their people.

It wasn't just Amerys that did this. All the other countries made sure that the areas around their borders were beautified. It was one way of showing prosperity and strength to the other four kingdoms. Pointless, since heroes from Auren like him and Mizki just crossed borders and went far beyond the beautified regions on a pretty regular basis.

Still, they received good service in hopes that they'd spread good word on their country. He wasn't going to complain about that.

Ia seemed to love the temple district. She darted around excitedly, flitting around certain temples and smiling widely at the incense-scented air and the holy men and women walking around. All the holy people smiled or laughed at the enthusiastic child. No one seemed to mind her running around, something Yuma was grateful for.

"Make sure she doesn't break anything or get into trouble," Mizki warned him before slipping off into the temple of Lady Mew. To get guidance from the patron goddess of the Metallin Tribe she would have to go into a deep slumber and dream. The initial sleeping phase took roughly ten minutes and receiving the visions could take anywhere between thirty minutes to an hour.

That was a lot of time for a child to either break something or get into trouble. Yuma turned around and found Ia slipping into the temple dedicated to the goddess of life. He followed inside, beseeching to whichever god listening and feeling particularly generous that the girl would not cause trouble or break something expensive.

His prayers seemed to be granted for the time. Ia was kneeling in front of the goddess's statue with her eyes closed.

He leaned back near the doorway. Most of his prayers – when he made them – were dedicated to Lady Cul, goddess of war and bravery. He did, however, know the basics about Lady SeeU, courtesy of Mizki. She was the goddess of life and health, and also acted as the patron of omnicats. As the patron of the mysterious creatures with riddling words and cat-like features, she took on the form of an omnicat herself, which meant that she looked human in every aspect except for the cat ears, the star-filled eyes and the tail.

Not a bad goddess for a child to go to. Omnicats, despite their odd ways and strange talk, adored children of every race. If someone hurt a child, that person was automatically marked as the lowest of the low for the feline human race.

Come to think of it, with the statue in front of him to compare, Ia kind of looked like SeeU. Similar face, similar shaped eyes, similar features . . . .

Not counting, of course, the obvious cat ears and tail. But maybe the similar appearance was the reason why Ia had entered this temple out of all the ones.

His attention was diverted from stray musings when the priestess with pink-tinted hair came to greet him.

The priestess was, like everyone else, charmed by the shy little girl and immediately coughed up any treasures – sweets – she had. "Most children don't like temples," she marvelled as Ia nibbled on honeyed nuts. "If she ever wants to take the spiritual path, I'll be sure to help."

Provided, of course, that Ia followed the path of Lady SeeU. Making polite excuses, Yuma somehow managed to get himself out of there. Ia, the smart, blessed child she was, followed out silently. "Until Mizki finds her answer, how about we hang around some other temples?" he suggested.

Ia shrugged her agreement and the two of them spent the next hour visiting multiple temples. At each one she entered Ia prayed with a seriousness that made all of the caretakers of the temples smile. Some of them offered her the same help like the ones she had gotten from Lady SeeU's priestess. They left as soon as they could when they were offered that kind of help.

Not that Yuma had anything against Ia being a priestess . . . it was just that Mizki wouldn't be happy if they accidently ended up swearing on something extremely holy to do something. Not after the incident a few years ago when he had promised to clean out the dragon stables of one temple district. Mizki had simply blasted the entire building clean with her magic and the priests had been happy at the sparkling stables, enough to release him from his accidental oath, but he himself had had to suffer an hour-long lecture. If he managed to get Ia into something Mizki simply couldn't blast through, she'd probably blast _him_ as a surrogate.

Ia seemed to understand his anxiousness when the nice holy people offered to take her in as a disciple and left with him without any protest when that happened. She always prayed, though. He didn't know what for, but he thought that she had a right to keep that to herself because it was likely that she was silently asking for help with her lost memories. Yuma himself prayed when they dropped in by Lady Cul's temple. He asked for courage in the future, the strength to face whatever may come and specifically asked for peace, not war.

After Lady Cul's temple, Ia smiled at him as they left, like she had heard his silent prayers and approved of them. For some reason, despite the impossibilities of that, he was grateful for her assumed approval. Most people assumed that heroes, especially warriors like him, wanted war more than anything in the world. They often expected it and begged for tales of fierce battles and earthshaking duels.

They always focused on the glory of the war, the encouraged thoughts that many backed with the image of Lady Cul. While the red goddess did indeed symbolize such things, she herself didn't encourage it. All the priests under the patron of the loup-garous always repeated their statements, that she was someone who fought only to protect her own like a mother bear would for her cubs, who gave those wanting to protect their beloved ones the strength and courage to face down whatever awaited them. The glory of the battle was for the true-hearted ones who had given their all for the sake of others.

The statements of the priests never shook the common and misguided opinions of the public enough to make a large enough impact, and while Yuma knew it was a stupid belief he still was affected by what people thought of him. Tricking himself into believing that Ia did approve of his wish for peace was a way for him to pretend that someone did believe that warriors were capable of yearning for harmony.

Ia tugged on his hand and lead him into the temple in between Lady Mew and Lady SeeU's; they had circled around the temple district. Yuma looked at the small temple. Two stone dragons at the entrance and the runes carved into the walls with magic told him all he needed to know about the deity here. "Lady Aria?"

Ia nodded and pulled him in. It was of a similar size to all of the other ones, and to him it was just a usual temple. Granted, the usual statue was replaced with a large silk scroll painting hanging on the far wall, but there was really nothing different about it. Nothing special to really set it aside from all the other ones he had visited that hour.

His ward went up to the alter to pray anyways. The portrait in front of her was one where the goddess had one hand on the head of a large dragon. The painting wasn't large enough to show the dragon's full body, but judging from the size of the head the dragon would have been the size of a siege tower.

Ridiculous, of course. Everyone knew that dragons didn't grow much larger than a two-story house at the most. The myths about them breathing fire and flying was also untrue. Yes, there were songs sung by bards and fairytales spun to excite or scare children. No, those dragons did not exist in Terrestria and if they had, they were long gone.

The image of the goddess herself was a shock, however. She was a beautiful woman, for sure, much like every other deity, but Ia bore an uncanny resemblance to her. Forget looking like Lady SeeU, Ia would look exactly like the goddess of wisdom and knowledge when she was an adult with longer, pink-edged hair.

This time, before the priest or priestess of this temple could make his or her way towards them, Ia brushed the dirt off her palms and walked out.

"I never did get why the goddess of wisdom and knowledge chose to be the patron for dragons," he commented as they waited outside the temple where Mizki was. Ia apparently didn't want to go in any more temples and both of them were happy with waiting. "Despite what stories say about their endless wisdom they've never shown much mental capacities. Not more than a farm animal, anyways."

Ia shrugged. They all have their reasons, she seemed to say with that small gesture.

"You're right," he agreed, not feeling particularly foolish as he technically answered his own question. "The gods have their reasons for their choices." Just as humans did for their actions. They all had their reasons, even if they didn't make any sense to others . . . .

Ia pointed to the temple entrance where Mizki was coming out. Not just coming out, he saw as he walked briskly to her side. _Staggering_ out. Her hair, instead of being in its usual neat pinned state, was loose and around her shoulders in pink waves. She looked dazed, like she had just woken up.

. . . Wait, that was _exactly_ what she'd done. "You alright?" he asked, still concerned for his partner. Her eyes were like the ones belonging to a drugged person.

Mizki shook him off. "We need to get to Meredin," she croaked. "Now."

_They all had their reasons, even if they didn't make any sense to others . . . . _


	5. Dragonpath to Silvana

Yuma didn't realize just how serious Mizki was about getting to Meredin immediately until she dragged them all to the nearest pawn store to exchange her ring-staff for money. "Mizki!" he hissed when the pawn shop's owner headed to the back of the store to place the ring in a safe place. "That's not even one-tenth of its actual worth!"

She gave him a brief glance as she counted the number of gold coins. "I'll buy it back," she promised as she swept the entire lot into a leather pouch, which wasn't the response he'd been waiting for. "In the mean time, I'll use the hairpin Duchess Sonika gave me."

He would have said more, but he clamped up when the mistress of the store came back from her placing the ring in a safe place. The owner of the pawn shop was a cheerful, honest-looking woman who promised to keep the staff on hold from sale for a month. Yuma admitted – begrudgingly – that a month was more than enough time to get to Meredin, access Mizki's bank account and then come back. It was also more than enough time to go to an Auren Office and draw from their funds. She could give the Orderlies there permission to draw the same amount of money from her bank in Meredin.

"Too long," she replied to his unasked question. "All the forms and the oaths I have to take promising that I'll pay it back, interest and all . . . ."

"It's only one hour," he said. And that hour wouldn't really make much of a difference in the twenty-day walking trip to Silvana City. Taking Ia into consideration, it would take much longer than that, unless they hired a wagon for part of the journey. Ia looked back and forth between the two of them and grabbed both their hands, as if she was making sure that the two of them wouldn't abruptly leave her.

"Still too long," she said before crouching to meet Ia's eyes for the first time since receiving a dream vision from Mew. "Ia," she said, voice gentle and more like herself. "Have you ever taken a dragonpath before?"

"No," he snapped before Ia could answer. Yuma wasn't answering for the young girl, he was vetoing Mizki's suggestion to take the dreaded path. "Absolutely not."

"It's the fastest way, other than teleportation."

And despite having the ability and skill to beat any licensed, university-trained Grand Mage, despite having the ability and skill to become a licensed Grand Mage herself, she couldn't use the teleportation skill. Yuma glowered, knowing he was being quite child-like. "It's too expensive," he said the first thing that popped into his mind as an excuse to not take the blasted thing.

Mizki still retained her excellent debate skills and logic, despite having apparently lost part of her reason in her abrupt demand to get to Meredin immediately."Which is why I just pawned my favourite staff for the expenses," she reminded him.

His next response was a bit more thought out."Ia would be traumatized by the experience."

"I've seen five year olds have fun while on the dragonpath. It's just you."

The comment about the five-year old being braver than him made him grit his teeth. "It's not just me," he defended, but he didn't have any illusions about who had won this round of arguments. Yuma changed the question. "Want to give me a good explanation on just why we're going to go through living hell?"

Again, Mizki's eyes glazed up. "We have to get there," she said in what was almost a drone. "As soon as possible."

Yuma began to toy with the theory of Mizki being touched by a god. Actually touched, chosen by one of the divine deities, not just given a vision of clarity by the goddess of dreams. All the stories and songs, despite having the strange habits of romanticizing everything, told of odd behaviours in heroes chosen by the fickle gods who couldn't quite interfere – not directly.

They also never let the chosen hero go until the hero did one of three things; died, abandoned the gods and joined the opposing force in the particular conflict or completed the quest they'd been sent on.

The first two exceptions were out, no deliberations necessary. Therefore, if he wanted his partner back the way she was he was going to have to face his worst nightmare.

Damn. He had sworn he'd never take the dragonpath unless it was under extremely crucial and necessary circumstances.

The dragonpath was some kind of invisible route that only certain dragons could use. The path itself couldn't lead to any place in the world; the dragons could only bend the distance in to ten places in Terrestria. A dragon running the dragonpath could _enter_ the magic route from anywhere, but there would only be ten locations where it could reappear. The dragons that ran along the dragonpath were always smarter and stronger than most others of their kinds. Because of the limitations they had dragons being used to run the paths were highly valuable and their services were always very expensive.

Yuma had only taken the dragonpath two times in his life and he had hated both experiences with passion. The first time had been when Mizki had been stabbed with a poisoned blade and needed to get to a healer as soon as possible. The second time had been when he was twenty five and Duchess Sonika had fallen ill to a disease that had swept Meredin and Amerys a few years ago. Mizki had been desperate to see her sponsor, fearing that she would die, and had dragged him with her despite his word that he would travel there on foot.

Now, as he took the money from Mizki and paid the keeper of the beast the cost to buy the dragon's service, he wished that he and his partner liked to ride horses. Maybe if the two of them had horses like other wandering heroes god-struck Mizki wouldn't have thought of using the dragonpaths.

The dragon – a large beast with an almost noble head – took an immediate liking to Ia. It sniffed at her and rumbled when she poked the area around its scaly foot. Yuma tensed and automatically reached for his sword when the keeper spoke. "Dragons like it when you touch their paws."

Yuma blinked. "What?"

The keeper looked at him patiently. "They like it when someone touches their paws. It's how you tame one. You take a dragonling and you gently prod at its paws to reassure it."

He looked at the scaly beast again. The creature was now blinking rapidly as Ia clapped.

"She's got a gift with dragons," the keeper noted. Yuma tensed, waiting for an apprenticeship offer similar to the ones the girl had gotten all day, but the man only shrugged on his money pouch, the one filled with the ridiculously lowered price for Mizki's pawned staff-ring. "Get on, sir, time to run."

Yuma took Ia's hand and gently led her away from the sniffing dragon. Mizki was already in the large carrier on the dragon's back, and she reached out to help Ia up the ladder that had been placed there. Once Ia was inside the basket-like carrier, Yuma himself climbed up with dread filling his stomach.

Inside the leather-made carrier, several straps and chains bound to the carrier's sturdy walls awaited him. He chained their bags down before he helped Mizki strap Ia in securely. Then, it was his turn. Straps around his torso, chains around his waist and a padding-wrapped steel bar around his shoulder would all prevent him from being thrown out of the carrier to meet a painful death when the dragon accelerated or stopped.

Ia giggled and clapped. "Glad one of us is happy about this," he mumbled, grabbing onto the padded bar with both his hands. "Have you ever travelled by dragonpath?"

This time the mute girl didn't bother to even nod or shake her head. She was too busy silently bubbling with excitement.

Definitely an odd child.

"All ready?" the keeper bellowed from his seat near the dragon's horns.

"Yes!" Mizki called.

"Hold on!"

Yuma's grip tightened until his knuckles were bone-white. He hated this part.

The dragon, receiving the signal from his owner, began to run. It was slow, but the beast began to pick up speed as it ran, jostling the three of them inside the carrier against the leather walls and restraining bars.

The jostling and the shaking became worse and worse until Yuma heard it – a clear snap.

And suddenly a huge pressure was being applied to him. His face felt like a strong wind was blowing against it, like his skin would stretch off his skull. His eyes told his brain that they were going through a tunnel with blurred lines and lights with no visible end and all through the high pressure and breathless feeling the dragon was throwing them around in there while it bounded through the spaces and his chest felt so tight it was like his heart was beating twice as hard and achieving only half the results–

And after an unknown period of time it all came to an abrupt stop, throwing his body forwards against the bars holding his body down. Yuma took a deep breath, filling his lungs with sorely-missed oxygen as his fingers began to scrabble at the bindings and safety devices. They were at one of the two stop points for the dragonpath destination in Meredin, at the gate of the Royal Graveyard.

"We're here!" the keeper yelled at them from his seat in the front. Yuma finished tearing at the safety measures trapping him before freeing their bags. Mizki had already unbuckled Ia and the three of them exited the carrier.

Their ride lay, exhausted, with its eyes closed. Ia reached out to pat one of its bed-sized paws in sympathy.

Yuma tried very hard to steady his spinning vision and not throw up. He thought he stumbled, but the ground felt like it was turning and spinning under his feet and he couldn't quite tell.

"You're acting like a drunkard," Mizki sighed and let him lean against her like the last time they had taken a dragonpath. Slowly, the ground stopped spinning and his head cleared up. "Better now?"

"Yeah," he said groggily, picking up their bags. "Thank you."

"No problem," she stood there for a moment. "Now that I'm here I don't know what to do."

Yuma nearly dropped their bags as his fingers suddenly lost the majority of their strength.

* * *

"And that's how you came to me?" Duchess Sonika raised one slim, green eyebrow after she finished listening to their story.

Mizki gave a sheepish grin, acting like her usual immature self. Yuma was glad to see her return to normal. _Her_ normal. "Why not go to the best?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," the lady sniffed as she handed Ia a cup of tea. The blonde ducked her head in thanks. "Would she like something to eat? Cakes, biscuits, the likes?"

To his surprise, Ia turned to face Yuma and nodded her approval. "I think she would," he said, translating her body language.

The green-haired noblewoman rang a bell. Instantly, a maid appeared at the door. "Milady?"

"More tea, fruit juice and a platter of cakes. The usual, Momo."

"Yes, milady," the maid answered obediently and left.

"She'll be back in a moment," Duchess Sonika told them. "Momo is an excellent worker. Highly efficient and very good common sense. She's even helpful in the current crisis we have going on in the Database."

Right. That. Yuma had forgotten about the whole library-and-database-under-construction until the noblewoman with now-obvious dark circles under her sharp green eyes had reminded him about one of the reasons why they had brought Ia here. "Do you think we'll be able to find anything on Ia directly?"

"I suppose so," the duchess answered slowly. "It would still take some time – priorities have all been changed to focus on finding the culprit, organizing information and reinforcing defenses. But yes, since you happen to be here it wouldn't be impossible.

"In the meantime, you are a guest. I insist that you eat and rest yourselves for today. Whatever actions are needed, you may make them tomorrow. Today is a day of rest for hard-working heroes."

"A day of rest and planning?" Mizki guessed.

The older woman grinned and at that moment could have been five years younger than her actual age. "Precisely."

The maid brought in the platter of refreshments and Ia fell upon them like a starving beggar.

* * *

For the record, taking the dragonpath is like riding a rollercoaster. Some people like it, some people hate it.


	6. Fountains and daydreams

"There was a gunslinger hero from the Metallin Tribe in the city for a visit," Duchess Sonika told them after an hour of looking over the countless maps of SIlvana City in her possession and trying to figure out where the two of them – and Ia – were supposed to go. So far, they had gone over all the temples dedicated to Lady Mew and nothing had struck out as special to Mizki.

Of course, they'd go and visit the Auren Database soon, but Duchess Sonika had already warned them that the security had been tripled in fear of a physical attack. As both Yuma and Mizki hated snobby guards who liked to abuse power – and gods knew there were far too many of those being used in the building – they were hoping to find any alternative places to drop by.

"She's a nice girl. I believe she's travelling with your cousin, Mizki."

The pink-haired woman's face froze in the middle of a yawn and she hastily snapped her gaping jaws shut. Yuma blinked. "Dell's here?"

Duchess Sonika nodded as she rolled up one of the maps spread on the table. "His group of heroes have grown to be quite responsible and skilled adults," she commented. "They've made quite the name for themselves as capable heroes. Perhaps you were meant to go to them?"

Mizki's cousin, Dell, had come from the healer branch of the dysfunctional family of mages that Mizki had sprung from, but he was far from a healer. Despite his natural born abilities as a healer Dell was known for being a rather ill-tempered battle mage with a short patience span who liked to smash heads with his staff just as much as he liked casting spells.

After he had left his direct healer family in order to pursue his dreams, Mizki had somewhat taken him under her wing, helping the younger boy learn how to cast spells that would harm rather than heal. How to channel his magic as a lightning bolt, a fireball, or a force that could be manipulated to fight. How to shape barriers that could hold against attacks, both magical and physical, under extreme circumstances. Dell had spent half a year or so with the two of them, learning how to be a hero. He was a good kid, trying to make a difference in the way he considered more effective. He wasn't in it for the glory everyone else had heard about from some wrong source.

Half a year of training later Mizki had declared him a perfectly capable battle mage who could also play the part of the healer if necessary, and Dell had gone to seek his own fortune. From his last message for them they had learnt that the boy had managed to balance his preference towards the more various magic arts and his natural affinity for healing and was travelling with a pair of archer twins. Yuma hadn't heard about a girl from the Metallin Tribe being a part of his group, and neither had his partner.

They were going to have to have a word with Dell later.

Mizki shook her head. "I don't think that's it, either," she said slowly, obviously not wanting to shoot down her beloved mentor's suggestion and yet burdened with the responsibility of doing so as a respectable scholar. "I mean, there are more concentrated areas of the Metallin around the borders between Adamas and Emerlem. I feel like there was a reason I had to come to Meredin, and Silvana especially. Other," she added, looking at Yuma pointedly just as he opened his mouth to speak. "than to find out more about Ia's home."

Ia yawned and leaned her head against Mizki. The mage shifted, trying to make her body a more comfortable thing to lean against. "Ia, are you tired?"

The blonde nodded, eyes obviously heavy with sleep. Yuma glanced outside the window and was quite surprised to find the skies darkening already. To him it had felt like they had accomplished nothing, and yet time had flown so quickly.

The duchess rose, graceful as ever. "Momo has prepared three separate bedrooms for your use," she said. "Ia, would you like to go to sleep?"

Their ward pointedly looked at him and Mizki. "No," he answered the question he guessed she was thinking. "We're not going to sleep yet."

Ia shook her head and stifled a yawn before straightening her back and shuffling in an attempt to sit properly.

"She's a very mature girl," Duchess Sonika remarked, retaking her seat. "Perhaps she, too, has been touched by a god. I'm sure you've all heard of the god-touched girl seer in Emerlem."

Yuma nodded – everyone liked to talk about the blind girl who could see – when Mizki stood up, a scroll rolling off her lap. She didn't notice, which was a miracle on a similar scale to the blind seer. Mizki normally despised people who didn't take proper care of documents. "The fountain!" she clapped her hands together.

That word could have meant anything – the Meredin Palace Garden was second only to Amerys in the number of water fountains that decorated the scenery – yet Yuma understood what his partner was thinking of. "The Fountain of Knowledge," he said, recalling the name of the large fountain in the square at the database. Visiting students and heroes often liked to toss bits and coins into the waters, a small sacrifice asking for wisdom or useful knowledge. It was an urban myth, of course, and had never been proven, but since his god-touched partner had found it apparently related – or at least significant – it was a safe bet.

Unfortunately . . . . "It's still in the Auren District," he pointed out. "Even with Duchess Sonika verifying for us it'll still take some time."

"But now there are two likely locations in the Auren District. After being verified and allowed in you will be able to check upon both of them within a short period of time," the duchess said. "I shall go and alert the mages at the Database immediately. This should save the three of you some time tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Mizki repeated.

The green-haired woman stopped and grinned wryly at her former student. "Did you really think that I'd let you go off tonight? Not with _those_ bags under your eyes, Mizki."

Mizki blushed and mumbled a few words.

"Go take a bath and get some sleep," she told the mage softly. "You need some rest."

Ia yawned again when the lady had stepped out of the room. "C'mon, Ia," Mizki extended a hand towards the girl. "Let's go take a bath, okay?"

Their ward looked towards Yuma with a questioning look. "No, Ia, he doesn't get to join us."

"He doesn't _want_ to join you," Yuma replied, picking up his sword and strapping it to his belt again. The servants had taken their bags to their rooms – which he was grateful for, his shoulders were slightly aching – but he hadn't given up his sword. Duchess Sonika had assured the nervous servants that he wouldn't kill her, but it had still taken some convincing.

Yuma didn't particularly care. He'd seen too many things out there to have a strong belief in true safety.

"Good night," he nodded as Ia waved and allowed Mizki to pick her up. The two of them went down one end of the corridor and he went the other way. A warm bath did sound quite good to him, especially after the chilly water from frozen rivers he hadn't grown used to.

No one was at the palace's public bath – most likely already done with their washings, or not bother at all. Even with the water being heated with the magical efforts of hedgewitches and physical labours of wood-piling servants, a damp body was a cold body in winter.

Yuma soon found another reason for the absence of people washing themselves. The water was only lukewarm, and felt somewhat cold to his skin.

Unlike mages and healers he couldn't see the trace of every magical spell except the strong ones like the hexes and spells Mizki used, but he was willing to bet that the magical input for the bath's warmth had been taken away. Most likely diverted to more necessary places – that is to say, the current Database crisis.

The lukewarm water was still better than any icy water from rivers and streams. While Mizki had the ability to warm them up, the two of them had agreed that it was better to save her magical stamina for more important things, such as an emergency quest or a sudden herd of demons. Their adventurous-if-not-dangerous lifestyles had led to their choice being the correct one many, many times.

He splashed water at his face and rinsed out his hair before relaxing. Soon his body temperature would drop and the lukewarm water would feel too much like the ice cold water he disliked, but it was currently soothing.

_What would it be like_, he thought, _to be a knight?_

Knights did the same thing as warrior heroes in Auren – rid the land of demons, fought, trained – except that the knights stayed loyal and useful to only one country. Even within their country they mostly guarded the Royal Families or jousted for entertainment. Not all knights were like this – there were exceptions, such as the Commanders who oversaw the army and the country's state and the Fair Folk knight belonging to the Order of Auren, called the Rogue Knight by most – but many were.

Essentially knights did less work and had more benefits than average Auren warrior heroes, such as warm baths and more time spent at home. Only members of noble families could become knights, which was why he – a farmer's son – could never even consider it as a realistic path to follow. Yuma wondered sometimes though. He wasn't the most imaginative person, but even he occasionally daydreamed about a different life.

Personally, he thought it to be Mizki's influence.

Yuma dunked his head into the water one last time and then climbed out, feeling clean for the first time in far too long. Before the chill could get to him and make him feel numb, he grabbed a towel and wiped the water off his body and pulled on his clothes. Sword in hand, he left the bathing rooms.

No one was in the hallway, but that was to be expected – this was a relatively quiet corridor within the castle, and Mizki was helping Ia wash herself. Yuma let memory take over and walked to the bedroom usually assigned to him.

His bags were inside. Good.

Opening them, Yuma took out the five spelled figurines of guardians. Normally, when they were out travelling and Mizki was casting her usual barrier spells he didn't have to bother with them, but he respected her privacy when they were in areas of civilization. Mizki had felt guilt for some odd reason he didn't pretend to understand and had spelled the charms to make sure he was protected while he slept. He appreciated it.

Yuma set the guardians up as close to the walls as he could to cover the largest possible area, having the first four figurines face their respective directions – North, East, West and South – before placing the last one under his pillow along with a dagger. If someone breached the barriers he wanted to be able to reach a quick weapon. While he preferred his sword, he knew it was hard to pull it out of its scabbard without tangling it in sheets.

Those who stumbled upon his habits without prior knowledge would question his need for all this. He would just shrug in reply. Sometimes, drunk fools in tavern inns would get it into their heads that killing a somewhat well-known hero would give them the hero's powers and try their luck at slitting a sleeping man's throat. Sometimes, a servant would try their luck at stealing a travelling warrior's belongings, because their pay wasn't enough in their eyes (it probably wasn't enough for real, but Yuma didn't appreciate thieves in his room). People could call him paranoid, but this set up had saved his life more than one time.

Protection spells set up, Yuma climbed into his bed – a nice change from hard grounds and sleeping packs – and fell asleep.


	7. Nocturnal ambush

Thanks to a sudden, sharp pain to his naval area, Yuma woke up from one of the best nights of sleep he had gotten in weeks. The spike of pain wasn't like being stabbed with a blade or a deadly point of some sort – an agonizing pain he still remembered all too clearly from a bandit ambush two years ago – but it was definitely familiar. This pain was caused by the magic of his guardian statues and it was waking him up to alert him of an intruder in his room.

His hand snaked up to and under his pillow as he tried to assess just where this intruder's position was. The breathing in the silence of the dark room – it was muffled, yes, but the nerves and excitement coursing through the intruder's veins made it all too easy to hear – told him that the intruder was slowly making his way towards him from the door. His fingers were now wrapped around the handle of his dagger. One, two, three.

Grabbing his dagger he bolted up in his bed with a battle cry. The possible assailant let out a sound of alarm – further giving away their position in the darkness – and Yuma took full advantage of the moment of surprise and hesitation. He leapt out of his bed and tackled the man – he was sure of his assailant's gender now – down before giving him a few punches to his face. The man flailed and managed to land a hit or two on him, but Yuma barely noticed. He laid his dagger against his throat. "Surrender," he hissed, trying to give his opponent what he had not received; an honourable way to deal with things.

This man was either deaf or he didn't care about death. His flailing limbs – which Yuma admitted was harder than it should have been to hold down – hit his hand hard enough to knock the dagger out, a careless and rookie mistake. Before the man could grab it with his scrabbling hands Yuma lashed out at the blade with the back of his hand, flinging it to a far corner of the room. Now neither of them could use it.

Yuma grabbed the man's head with both of his hands and smashed it against the floor, not hard enough to kill but plenty enough to daze.

That proved to be a mistake. In his dazed form the man somehow flailed even more and managed to throw him off.

Perhaps this was his lack of close combat training coming back to haunt him as the cycle of life was said to do. He didn't hit his head, but his pride was slightly bruised – really, a warrior hero of a high rank with many successes to boast of thrown off by childish flailing. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet before the intruder could recover and sent a kick into the man's abdomen, feeling absolutely no shame at kicking a man when he was down in order to defend himself during a cowardly attack in the middle of the night. Then, he lunged towards his sword as the other man scrambled up.

His assailant launched himself at him like a wild animal before he could reach his sword. "Down!" Yuma ordered as he grabbed and threw his opponent in a toss a fighting teacher from Auren's schools had taught him – one of the few lessons that his body had been able to memorize. The man didn't fly very far, but he did act a bit more like a dazed person should now. His movements were finally sluggish, most likely because of the many hits on the head Yuma had given him during their struggle.

Yuma grabbed his sword and a ring set with a light stone from the bedside table, fumbling to get the right one. He whipped the sword out of its scabbard with his right hand and pointed it at the figure he could now somewhat distinguish in the dark, thanks to his eyes having gotten used to the lack of proper, bright light. With his left hand he fumbled with the light stone ring, trying to get it to face the right direction. At the time Mizki had bought those for him he had complained about their outrageous price but now, as he smashed it against the hard surface of the wall, he was thankful for the quick source of light.

The stone flared and filled the room with bluish light. The assailant cringed at the sudden brightness and cowered, trying to shield his eyes with his arms.

Yuma glanced out the window. His guess was that it was around three in the morning, maybe earlier.

He looked down at the man again. While this man had been taken down relatively easily, Yuma knew that surprise had been a key element in his victory. He didn't know just what tricks this man had up his sleeve nor what he could do while an unsuspecting warrior tried to tie him up.

At the same time, just letting him stay like this on the ground, not bound or rendered harmless was a stupid idea, one he wasn't willing to use. Those very tricks he imagined being used against him as he tried to restrain this man may not have even existed, but not doing anything to prevent future attacks would certainly be giving him a chance to strike.

Yuma saw only one thing to do in his situation. He smashed the side of his sword against the cringing man's head and knocked him unconscious.

* * *

The guards had reacted badly when they found him leaning against the wall outside his door with his sword unsheathed and a man tied up and kneeling next to him. The two on patrol had dragged away the unconscious man to the dungeons, all the while complaining a bit too loudly about heroes who thought they knew everything after smashing a few demons to pieces.

Their reaction had been nothing in comparison to Mizki's, who had woken up as those too-loud guards stomped past her room and heard their words. She had practically flown out of her room, still in her nightgown and frightening the guards with her demanding tones. "You're sure you're not hurt?" she asked him for the tenth time as they went to get breakfast. She was fully dressed now and Ia was at her side, following the two of them diligently.

Ia giggled at his annoyed expression. "Yes," he sighed. "I'm fine, thanks to your spells." And he was, really. If it weren't for her healing skills or her statues he would have had a sore sword arm or been dead.

"Well then, do you know why he was in your room? Did he try to kill you outright or-"

"Mizki, drop it." He was being rude, yes, she was concerned, yes, but right now he really didn't feel like being grilled for information.

The mage shut her mouth for a few moments. "Ia?" She said finally. "Do you want to get some strawberries? There were a whole bowlful of them on the far table over there with cream and honey."

The young girl skipped off to get some of the promised fruit and Mizki took the chance to lean in towards him. "Yuma, what if this attack wasn't about you at all? What if this was about her?"

He had thought about that, of course, during the ten minutes he had spent waiting for some guards outside of his room with his captured intruder next to him. A quick search on the man had brought forward nothing but a knife. His hands hadn't been set with calluses and he hadn't been drinking too much for his own good, judging from his wine-free breath, which meant he wasn't a servant hoping for luck or a random drunkard. There was no other reason as to why anyone in the palace would try to break into his room otherwise and naturally Yuma's thoughts had gone to the only new thing in his current lifestyle – Ia.

He gave Mizki the same answer he had thought of after handing the intruder to the palace guards. "We protect her, just like we've been doing."

* * *

Duchess Sonika had been furious when she heard news of the blitz attack. She hadn't directed it to the guards or even the man responsible, but rather at the fact that he had been attacked. "Security within the palace," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "will get much, much stricter from this point onwards. Of course I fully agree that the safety of His Majesty the King and his family is the top priority . . . but nonetheless, it is not the most convenient event to occur right now."

"Will it make it harder for us to enter the database?" Mizki asked, anxious. Out of the three of them, Yuma thought that Mizki would be the one to want the truth the most. He didn't know exactly what she was thinking or feeling, but he felt that he could guess the gist of things. Fear, confusion, wariness, self-distrust and doubt. Those were the emotions Mizki felt when she didn't trust herself. What a god-touched person slightly lacking in usual confidence felt on top of all that he didn't know nor care to make assumptions about. Previous assumptions unnecessarily clouded possibly clear future judgement.

"Most likely, since many of the guards serving duty at the Database Headquarters will now be moved back to the palace to protect the Royal Family. Less manpower," the duchess sighed. "It seems knowledge isn't valued enough."

The mage let out a mixed sound of agreement and misery, bringing their ward – who had been snacking on the honey cakes she had monopolized – closer to them with a questioning look on her face. Once Ia saw Mizki's slumped back and disappointed face she nodded like she understood everything and popped the last bit of her sweet cake into her mouth.

Yuma patted Mizki's back. Ia, seeing what he did to try and cheer up his partner, reached over and did the same.

Mizki lifted her head. "Ia, did you wipe your hands on my clothes?"

The blond girl gave her best 'who, me?' look to the mage before innocently licking off the leftover honey still stuck on her fingers.

* * *

It took them an hour to get through security checkpoints. Duchess Sonika vouching for them had been enough to bypass the interviews and interrogations, but that still left the searches and magical trace spells being run.

Mizki took it all gracefully. "This is to protect the information," she told him when he made a grumbling noise for the third time that hour. "It's a small price to pay."

The overseer of their searches had found her answer so worthy and touching that they had been let through twenty minutes earlier than expected.

"Seems like Ia's charms are rubbing off on you," he said to her when they were out of hearing distance.

"Ironic, since you're the one who needs it more."

That, he couldn't argue with.

They decided to go the building first, since it was closer to their current location. Duchess Sonika had to leave them at this point. "I shall see the two of you later on," she said, giving Mizki and Ia a hug. For him, a handshake was offered. He took it. "Good luck on your search."

"Thank you."

It wasn't until they were in front of the marble building standing tall and gleaming white in the morning sun's light that they realized they had no idea exactly what to look for. "I guess I'll see it when I see it," Mizki said, but her voice was uncertain.

She didn't know what she was doing. Mizki hated things that she didn't know – didn't have control over. She was working on it, but it was something that annoyed her and sometimes even scared her.

"You do that," he told her. Despite her love of prying into his life, she rarely appreciated it when he tried to return the favour. Sometimes it was better just reminding her that he was there for her if she ever needed a friend. "In the meantime, I'll see if I can see the fountain from here."

* * *

Updates will get even more erratic, due to life being busy. Apologies for any inconveniences.


	8. Bloodied waters

The closest location to the building where he could catch sight of the fountain was slightly uncomfortable, at an angle that led to him practically standing in the bushes like an awkward spy. If the guards caught sight of him like this, they would have happily arrested him on suspicions.

He stepped out to make sure no soldier ever got the satisfaction to do that. From the glance he had gotten, the fountain made out of white marble enchanted to constantly shoot water up for the purposes of decoration hadn't changed from the last time he had seen it. Still large enough to hold twenty men within its pool, still carved with the images of Ladies Aria, SeeU and Cul as well as smaller creatures, and still being a fountain by spraying water.

What was the point on a fountain? It shot water up in the air, the water fell down back into a pool, and magic was wasted in the process of it all.

He didn't get the point. It was water. Going up and then down. There wasn't even anything beautiful in that.

Ia plunged her hand right into the small patches of flowers and picked the prettiest blossoms before arranging them into a bouquet. She pointedly looked at him and then at Mizki, who was frowning in concentration.

"Yeah," he answered the question he was guessing she was asking. "I think she'll like those. I wouldn't pick any more, though. People work hard to grow those things. Have to make the database look pretty for the scholars with their nose in the books."

She nodded, grave and serious as ever, but didn't run off to Mizki like he expected her to. Instead, she checked her surroundings like she was waiting for someone and then looked back at him.

"What's wrong?"

Ia shrugged. So nothing was wrong, she just didn't want to jinx anything? Alright, Yuma understood that.

"Well, how about giving me and Mizki – sorry, Mizki and I a little hint as to where to look for clues?" Mizki was eternally trying to break him of his grammatical errors in speech. So far it was partly working.

Ia shot him an unreadable look before dumping the small bouquet on his feet. Then she began skipping off towards the fountain.

Yuma looked at Mizki, who was still staring at the white marble that was blinding with the sun shining on it. She needed some time alone, away from her bumbling partner.

Careful to not step on and crush the flowers, Yuma hurried after Ia, sword bouncing off his leg every now and then.

She managed to reach the fountain before he caught up to her. He blamed it on the dawn's ambush that had led to him not getting enough sleep. That, and Ia's surprising speed. "Are you actually giving me a hint?"

Ia just took some water from the fountain's pool and splashed him with it.

Oh. Just a water fight, then.

Half-heartedly, he grabbed a fistful of water warmed by the sun and threw it at her before the liquid could completely trickle out through his fingers. It was stupid, but he was disappointed that all she had led him here for was a water fight.

About to splash him back, Ia dropped her water back into the fountain and opened her mouth into a wordless scream. She pointed at the sky behind him, still shrieking.

Unsheathing his sword, he spun around to find the threat. There, in the air. Eagle demons. Three of them. Large ones, too, and with three they could carry off a grown man to his death. A child like Ia? One alone could do the job easily.

"Ia, get down on the ground!" he pushed her down with a firm hand when she stayed frozen like a little marble statue. No time to be nice or gentle. With a squeal she dropped, small hands covering her head.

His sword ready in his right hand, Yuma drew a second, shorter blade with his left. There was no cover around the fountain, which meant that he had to worry about protecting not only his own back, but also Ia. And protecting his own back was plenty hard when there was a pack of eagle demons.

Strange. Normally the discouragement charms placed in large, public and very important institutions like the database warded off demons. Maybe the terrorists had deactivated those charms while attacking.

The three predators circled above him, looking for an opportunity to strike. One, he could handle. Two? With two blades? Sure. Three?

That's what partners were for with members of Auren. Unfortunately, he had ditched his partner.

Taking a risk, he raised his left hand to his mouth and whistled as loudly as he could. If Mizki wasn't coming already to see what the scream was about, she was sure to come now.

Seeing the slight lowering of defense in his guard, two of the eagles swooped down in their infamous, deadly aerial strikes, talons sharper than knives ready to shred flesh and tear bone apart to shed human blood.

His sword stayed still until the last moment. Then, just as they were close enough that he could see the emerald green flecks in their amber eyes, he lashed out.

The eagle demon farther away from him managed to pull up in time and fly up, safe past the reach of his sword. The one that had been closer to him was a bit more unfortunate. Its deadly striking speed combined with his sword's swipe, its head was cut off cleanly with his blade.

The head flew off somewhere in the general direction of the building. The body, however, smashed into his torso, making him stumble from the weight. Instead of falling off of him as he would have liked, the talons clung to his clothes and the carcass of the demon hung from his tunic. To make matters worse, the blood splattered into his face and obscured his vision.

Yuma heard a triumphant shriek. Two of them, actually. Hurriedly wiping off the blood, he backed up and shielded Ia as much as he could. Two eagle demons couldn't carry grown men. If the demon predators wanted to take Ia as a meal, they'd have to go through him instead.

That, thankfully, never happened. The triumphant shrieks were abruptly cut off when two bolts of magic of a light fuchsia colour that he knew to be Mizki's favourite shade smashed into the aerial demons from behind. They fell, paralyzed by the magic.

Mizki came running, freed pink strands of hair flying everywhere like a witch's and her hairpin staff still sparking a bit from her magic. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, searching his face for wounds.

Right, the blood.

"It's nothing," he assured her. "I'm not hurt."

To prove his point he began to reach into the fountain to wash his face when Mizki grabbed his hand and stopped him from touching the water. "No, Yuma," she shook her head. "No washing off blood in fountains."

Gods and goddesses, women with their manners and public appearances. "It's just water," he pointed out. "It's not like it's melted gold or anything."

"And no one likes to see blood in public places."

Which would then have led to the whole 'why fountains are useless' talk, but Ia looked ready to cry. "You alright?" he asked her instead of further arguing.

She nodded and gingerly reached out to lightly touch his face.

"I'm not hurt," he reassured her. "See?" To prove his point, he opened his flask of water and dumped the contents onto his face, scrubbing with the back of his sleeve to aid the water in washing away the demon blood.

When he was done, Ia leaned in, eyes roaming around his face to inspect it for damage. Apparently satisfied, she nodded and leaned back.

His inspection completed, Yuma took out a pill made out of condensed herbs and swallowed it dry. Demon blood had many side effects, one common trait being their ability to eat away at most spells with holy ties or alliances. If there weren't any holy ties or alliances, the essence in the blood would make demonic ties and alliances. The herbs would neutralize any effect demon blood had up to a certain point. These pills were enough for eagle demons.

"I sent a magic summon. The guards should be here to investigate soon," Mizki paused. "If you feel yourself turning into a madman, tell me."

Healers. "Eagle demons don't have venom blood," he reminded her.

"But they are demons. Gods know what they ate – Ia, don't touch that!"

For someone who had screamed at the sight of them, Ia sure didn't seem too scared of a demon now. Maybe she didn't have a problem with dead, headless demons. Currently she was holding the eagle he had beheaded, holding it in a careful way to ensure that she didn't get blood dripping on her clothes.

No blood on her. They wouldn't have to worry about demonic contamination.

"Put it down, Ia," Mizki ordered. "It's dirty and there might be demon fleas on it."

"Demon fleas?"

"Duchess Sonika told me that a few mages are working on a thesis involving fleas that feast on demon blood. Either they were demon in the first place, or – Ia!"

Their little blond ward had tossed the carcass into the fountain. The blood began to spread, turning the water into a translucent pink.

"Oh, I'll clean it up," Mizki rolled her sleeves back and began to mutter incantations under her breath when the fountain stopped sprouting water up. "Great, the spell must have been nullified due to the demon's blood."

"Can you fix it?"

His partner shot him a look. "No. The mages who make fountains use specialized magic and they cast a lot of incantations to make sure that the fountain's spray contains blessings and charms for good luck. The demonic essence probably ate away at all those and disabled its ability to function as a fountain."

Spells and charms. He really wasn't interested in the mechanics of those. What he _was_ interested in was . . . "Expensive?"

Mizki looked behind his shoulder to check how far away the girl was from them before she leaned in and quietly whispered, "Very."

"Can we pay it?"

"Yes."

Yuma shrugged. "Then it's all good."

"Yes, I know, but I don't know how to teach her that it's not alright to go around throwing dead demons into enchanted – _Ia_!"

There was a splash. Yuma whipped around and saw Ia wading in the bloody waters of the fountain.

"Ia!" he yelled, panicked now. Wading in demon blood was not good. He had built up a slight resistance to them after ten years of being splashed with demonic lifeblood, but Ia was just a child. She didn't have his built-up immunity or a strong body to fight off the influence easily. "Get out of there! Now!"

Ia looked at them and he swore in his panicked state when she smiled and waved at them. Gods and goddesses, what had happened to the mature child?

A brief glance down to check what footwear he had on – boots, excellent – before he lunged into the waters, splashing like crazy to get at her and yet not too crazily in an attempt to avoid getting more water on her. A few more sounds behind him told him that Mizki was right behind him.

Right before he wrapped his arms around her small torso, Ia reached out and pressed a small sculpture of a dragon's head on the fountain.

There was a loud sound that he could only describe as a hungry growl from a non-living creature. He had once heard sailors speak with spirits freeing their tongues about a whirlpool, a large hungry hole made out of cursed waters that roared and sucked at boats foolish enough to get too close. All the evil-minded, dark water sprites were to blame for such cursed things, the seamen said. The sound was something that would send a shiver down the spine of any man, brave or otherwise.

He definitely got a shiver down his spine. This wasn't one of the ocean's whirlpools, but it did drain the fountain of its bloodied water within moments through a hole that had opened up beneath the centerpiece.

Once the water was completely gone, the dragon's head – the only dragon on the fountain featuring the goddesses of life, wisdom and warriors – seemed to wink at them with milky eyes before the entire centerpiece began to withdraw into the ground, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the marble fountain.

Yuma looked down, unable to help his curiosity. There weren't any light below, and the hole didn't seem to end. As far as he could see, there wasn't a way to climb back up from this seemingly bottomless pit.

Ia squirmed, trying to get away from the pit. It was probably a bad idea to hold her so near the hole. She must have been scared of the idea of falling down into the pit.

Yuma placed her on the ground behind him. "You alright, Ia?" he asked, checking for her health first even if he wanted to scold her for being reckless.

Ia threw her entire body at his legs and knocked him over. Normally, he would have placed either a leg behind to steady his balance or spun around mid-fall to cushion the impact with his arms the way the Order of Auren's trainers had taught him, but the marble was still slippery with the bloody water and there was no solid ground behind him, just a gaping hole.

That, and Ia had her arms wrapped around his legs, tight as bands of enchanted steel.

In the middle of his falling struggles he hit his head against the edge of the hole. Sharp pain throbbed once, twice, thrice in the back of his head before his consciousness flickered out like a candle in the path of wind.

"Yuma!"


End file.
